'Tis the season to be nasty

While some local radio stations celebrate the holidays with non-stop Christmas music, hosts on the morning show of Channel 8’s sister station KFMB (AM 760) had their own take on providing yuletide cheer.

KFMB’s Armstrong & Getty morning talk show originates in Sacramento but is picked up by other talk stations in the western U.S. On December 8, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty spent part of their show talking about the homeless.

During the 5 o’clock hour, the morning duo made note that San Diego officials were trying to come up with a way to move homeless people so they wouldn’t be so visible during such high-profile events as Comic-Con. They referred to homeless people as “losers,” “derelicts,” and “bums,” and joked that it’s too bad there isn’t a spray repellent called “Bum-Away.” Giggles ensued.

In the next hour, the men aired a segment about what kind of placards homeless people might carry to get hand-outs. They guffawed that “Will defecate for food” would be a great idea. More giggles.

What is somewhat awkward is that during the commercial break following the “derelicts” comment, KFMB ran a paid ad for Father Joe Villages. In the segment that ran immediately after the “Will defecate for food” slur, KFMB ran a paid spot for San Diego Rescue Mission.

While their sentiment may not be deemed offensive by all listeners, the fact that KFMB's on-air talent seems to be offending the efforts of paid advertisers might be seen as a big radio no-no.

“I know as a listener I don’t agree with everything they say,” KFMB program director Dave Sniff tells the Reader. “But I don’t think suggesting these guys say hateful and vitriolic remarks is a fair assessment of these guys.”

Sniff points out that Armstrong & Getty raised over $544,000 for Fisher House, a charity that helps military servicemembers and their families with housing. Sniff also notes that the morning team also helped KFMB raise over $429,000 for the local Warrior Foundation facility at Eighth and Broadway, which also helps veterans. Sniff suggested that the morning team be contacted directly for a comment. An attempt was made but no one from the Armstrong & Getty show responded.

Michael Johnson, vice president for development for the San Diego Rescue Mission, suggests that part of the problem may be that Armstrong and Getty aren’t locals.

“These gentlemen aren’t even here in San Diego,” says Johnson. “They might be reading what’s given them.”

Johnson says he has no beef with KFMB; in fact, he said that a member of the Rescue Mission will be appearing on The Mike Slater Show at 10:30 a.m. on December 22 for a live call-in segment. Slater hosts a live-and-local talk show that runs immediately after Armstrong & Getty on KFMB-AM.

“I know Mike is a Christian,” says Johnson. “At least Mike can speak to the issues on a real, local level. We are a faith-based group who work with clients on a faith-based approach.”

Father Joe’s Villages did not offer a comment, but one official who did not want to be identified said, “My immediate response is ‘thank you’ for telling us about it.”